Radio frequency (RF) planning is frequently a part of plans to deploy a large-scale wireless local area network (LAN). The purpose of RF planning is to ensure an adequate quality of RF signal coverage across the area in which the wireless LAN is to be deployed. Data to be considered for RF planning includes signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (SINR).
Conventional RF planning efforts generate data that indicates the locations of building features, relevant objects, and planned and/or existing sources of RF signals within a building. However, it is difficult to model the RF characteristics of some objects, such as large machine tools for use on factory floors. It is also difficult to model, for RF planning purposes, objects that have openings in them, such as floors interrupted by an atrium.